Greetings, gamers. Welcome to another issue of Retromgaming Times Monthy. I
hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July weekend. You'll notice we're a
little short on articles this month, btu we'll just have to make the best of it.
I hope you enjoy the stuff we have this month.

The Many Faces of . . . Vanguard

by Alan Hewston

This month we feature Atari systems almost exclusively in the Many Faces of
Vanguard. With only three faces, this may be a title you've never played at home
or the arcade, but rest assured it was quite popular at the arcades in 1981, and
is fairly easy to find the 2600 cart as well. First off, let me note that this
is NOT just another scroller or shooter. It is very unique in that you fire in
multiple directions (4) and the actions scrolls in multiple directions (3). Most
of the scrolling it L to R, but there are two zones where the scrolling is
diagonally down/right, and then diagonally up/right. Then there is the final
zone where your ship is pointed upward without any scrolling. This makes for
some good variety and a very creative game, especially when you add in a large
number of colors displayed, graphics types, enemy types, attacks, formations,
missiles, tunnels, hazards, a timer and great random action. The zone sequence
for tunnel one (which changes in later tunnels) is Mountain Zone, Rainbow Zone,
Styx Zone, Rainbow Zone 2, Striped Zone, Rainbow Zone 3, Bleak Zone, and City of
Mystery. Vanguard is loaded with gameplay elements and strategy and it stands
the test of time. My only complaint is that the difficulty picks up a bit too
fast and could have been made a little more gradual. By tunnel 3, in the striped
zone and other places you cannot even react or maneuver fast enough. You die (or
can have a double-death) if the scrolling timing is off, not due to your skill
or planning.

The audio and controls experience at the arcade was a lot different than what
we get to play at home. The home versions combine the moving and firing
functions into 1 joystick and 1 fire button. The arcade was separate so that the
joystick was only used for moving the ship about the screen and then there were
4 fire buttons - each dedicated to one direction, U/D/L/R firing. Upon
completing a zone, the arcade's synthesized voice told you the name of the next
zone. There is different music or effects during each zone, with that at the
start partially taken from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", more commonly heard
as the theme song from ST:TNG. The music played when you secure an energy pod is
"Vultan's Theme" from the movie "Flash Gordon". A lesser known arcade sequel,
Vanguard II came out in 1984, also by SNK. It looks somewhat like Xevious, and
you attack a space platform. The joystick steers your motion on screen. It is
assumed that the screen scrolls in some direction(s). One fire button is for
shooting flying enemies and another button to drop explosives on the surface.
Not having played it, the screen shots suggest that you collect or earned
"Pods", which may be what you use to attack/drop on the surface.

Vanguard was only released on Atari systems.

Arcade: 1981 by SNK Corporation for
Centuri
Unless noted - all home version released by Atari

Rumor Mill: Colecovision by AtarisoftSequels:Vanguard
II a 1984 SNK arcade game with very limited release

Home Version Similarities. Except those in <> all home versions
have: a full demo mode showing all zones but the final one; a choice of 1 or 2
non-simultaneous players; choice of starting tunnel (i.e. start level)
<2600>, choice of starting zone <2600>; choice of firing options
rapid fire or not; firing options can be changed during the game <8 bit>;
able to quickly reset/restart the game <8 bit>; when not firing, you can
maneuver about the screen slightly faster; when you fire, you always fire from
the front of your ship, plus; you must move and be firing at the same time to
fire in the other directions; there is a pause feature <2600, 8 bit>;
ability to quickly restart <8 bit>; several zones that must be completed
before each tunnel (level) is completed; tunnels get narrower, faster and thus
harder to navigate as levels increase - a bit too fast too soon; the sequence of
zones is varied from tunnel to tunnel; the City of Mystery is always the final
zone in each tunnel (level) and you only get one life/chance to shoot the Gond
for the bonus; the tunnel map is always displayed on-screen <2600 between
zones>; an on-screen fuel gauge (bar) displays your limited fuel supply; the
fuel supply decreases one notch per second, 40 notches total; each enemy that
you shoot adds back 1 fuel notch; a new life and/or each new level completely
replenishes your fuel supply; use of the Energy Pod completely refuels your
tanks; the Energy Pod also makes you invulnerable to any object for ~ 10
seconds; when invulnerable, any contact destroys those enemies/items that your
missiles normally could destroy; otherwise, when not energized, contact with any
terrain, enemy ship, missiles, barriers or force fields results in the loss of
one Vanguard ship; the floating Paynes cannot be destroyed; Paynes extend their
arms out/in <2600 no arms but float L/R>; contact with the Romeda debris
is also deadly; the first three contacts with the Kemlus or its debris is not
deadly, but thereafter is; contact with the Kemlus or its debris permits the
Kemlus to protect you and give you a ride, scoring large bonus points; the are
more bonus points for shooting the enemy bases which are displayed on-screen
<2600>; an extra ship is earned at 10k and 50k; enemies come in waves,
some enemies are fixed in formation, some are free to move, but may get stuck or
freeze temporarily, some shoot, some zig-zag, some will be overtop of each other
or the terrain, and finally some will change speeds; at times all enemies in a
wave must be completely eliminated to move to the next zone; the upcoming zone's
name is displayed on-screen <2600>; and finally after your game ends, you
have the option to continue your next game at the same tunnel level & zone
<2600 only through the first Tunnel>.

Disqualified: TI-99
(N/A)My first reaction was that the programmers credits are
well-known, but not much else. I assume that the game was playable or maybe even
complete, but never officially released. I did not seek help far enough in
advance from the TI-99 community - so I apologize for a lack of coverage here.
Hopefully some day we can review this port as a Lost Face. [Exercise for our
readers who are emulation fans: See if you can find the TI-99 ROM out there and
report back to me with some screen shots & other good info].

Bronze Medal: Atari 2600
(39) My first reaction was that although I do not recall
playing it at the arcade (I was cheap, I mostly watched, waited, and saved then
bought 'em for home) it was one of the few 2600 titles that I waited for to come
out and paid full price to get it. I was only slightly disappointed - it's a
decent 2600 game. Gameplay is impressive (8) with pretty much all the arcade
elements in place. All of the enemies are here. It is a bit slower in playing
and moving and a closer look also reveals that the Romedas do not fire at you.
The Striped Zone is not done horizontally, but vertically - no penalty - just
different. This is the only version to let you change control/firing options at
any time. The Addictiveness is very fun (7) but could have been much better. Of
course, there is no pause, and you cannot pick your starting tunnel level or
zone, but you can continue your next game, up through Tunnel 1. There are only 2
different tunnel maps (which repeat) and the difficulty on all versions ramps up
too quickly, thus you'll be at the frustration point (fastest speed) so fast
that you'll never get addicted. There is nothing more to look forward to. On all
ports the Graphics are a treat, and on the 2600 are dazzling (8), with loads of
color, great variety, good details, nice backgrounds, plenty of on-screen
action, decent scrolling, variety in tunnels and enemies. There is not much
animation and no multi-colored objects. Scrolling here is only horizontal and
vertical as it's not easy to scroll diagonally. The Sound is good (6) with some
of the effects and a touch of music - when using the energy pod and a warning
when the pod energy is almost up. But there is no other music any time and not
many background effects other than the Kemlus. There are no sounds for either
your shots or enemy shots fired. The effects for enemy hits, your death and
explosions and bonus are there, but mostly repeated. The Controls are the best
here (10). It may take some getting use to the slower movement of the Vanguard
ship, but you can move diagonally at any time and fire in 1, 2 or 3 directions
simultaneously - not so on the other versions. Obviously a lot of the arcade
feel of "4 fire buttons" is lost, but that is true on all versions.

Silver Medal: Atari 8 bit computer
(41)

5200 & 8-bit versions

My first
reaction was that this was not officially released - just a poor copy or hack of
the 5200 port. But . . . if I had disqualified this version, then we would not
even have a Many Faces of competition. Thus our Vanguard fans would feel
cheated. Gameplay pretty much matches the arcade (8), but missing some of the
5200 options. There is a choice to start <Option> using single or rapid
fire, or <Select> to select 1 or 2 players, but missing are the selection
of Tunnel level or zone. The zones get narrower in subsequent tunnels and unlike
the 2600, you cannot shoot through any crevices in the background. The speed of
the game is faster than the 2600. The Addictiveness is fun to play (7) but lacks
the 5200 pause, has no quick abort/restart and you have to wait a minute after
the game if you do not want to continue. There are some minor collision
detection problems (enemies butt up against you, yet you do not die), and there
are some cruel deaths. If you are not alert, you can finish one zone and if you
do not center your ship on the screen, you can get caught in the walls and die.
The striped zone can lead to a double death, or even finish off all remaining
lives as the timing of the Paynes may make it impossible to avoid death after
death - you might not be able to react/adjust to avoid them. It would also be
nice to see on-screen the current tunnel #, but then it doesn't get any harder
than level 3, so I guess that is pointless. The Graphics are a wonderful (9).
While the on-screen action is not as plentiful and frantic as other games, the
speed gets going really fast and there are 6 enemies and 2+ shots and other
obstacles to simultaneously avoid. The large variety in colors, multiple
simultaneous background colors, variety in graphics, good details, and awesome
scrolling (especially diagonally) make this very exciting. There is good variety
in enemies and just enough animation and multi-color that it secures a 9. The
Sound is pleasant (8) with music or good background effects in every zone. All
of the effects are well done, and I think all form the arcade made it here as
well. More variety in effects and some enemy sounds, sounds during the demo and
intro music and game over music would help. Controls are a disappointing
(9).You move faster than the 2600, but can never move diagonally. Thus you
cannot retreat and fire to your side simultaneously. You'll either get used to
this awkwardness or it may be a major cause to turn you away from this version.
There is not cart, and I'm almost positive that it was officially released on
disk. The ROMs and bootleg diskettes are out there. Maybe a version exists that
is corrected to fix the controls, and add in a pause and start options. If so,
then easily add in 3 more points here and the Gold medal.

Gold Medal: Atari 5200
(42)My first reaction was to agree with the Digital Press
Guide wishing for the same controller format (1 joystick for movement, the other
for firing) as in Space Dungeon and Robotron 2084. But then I cannot get any
variation of joystick (Wico or Masterplay Interface) to work perfectly on this
game. I'm fighting the control scheme of no diagonals (-1) and the drifting,
analog controls (-1). Controls score an (8). Since the Atari 8 bit cousin is a
direct port of this game, all game elements and descriptions are the same except
as noted below. Gameplay is superb (9), with the options <7> Start Tunnel,
<9> Start Zone, <#> 1 or 2 players, <*> firing continuously or
not. Addictiveness is enjoyable (8) with a pause and . Graphics
are first class (9) and Sound is crisp (8). The cart is not too hard to find.

Acknowledgements, Updates and Errata since last month.Thanks go to
fellow collector/dealer Rob Rosia who at the Spring 2006 CCAGSHOW.COM held onto
& sold to me the C64 NIB disk version of Up 'N Down. I got it just in time
to upgrade my photo collage for last month. Thanks again to Steve Knox for his
help in getting the Atari 8 bit disk version of Vanguard and many others. Next
month look for part 3 (in final editing now) of our interview with Chris Oberth
- hopefully including his revised web site.

Come back next month: I be on vacation before then, but see if I can
find time to review the many faces of "Threshold" for the Apple ][, 2600, 800,
C64, CV & Vic 20. Contact Alan at: Hewston95@NOSPAMstratos.net or
visit the Many Faces of site: http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RT/ManyFacesHome.htm

8-Bit Face-Off: Galaga

by Adam
King

With Alan covering the many faces of Vanguard. I figured I'd cover
another famous space shooter in the Face-Off: Galaga. Every knows about
Galaga: shoot the aliens, pass the Challenging Stages, let the enemy capture
your ship so you can double your firepower. The game ruled the arcades
throughout the early-to-mid 1980s, and even did well into the 90s. Oddly enough,
despite its popularity, Galaga was ported to only a couple of platforms
(this was long before it was featured on every Namco Museum collection).
There was a horrible version programmed for the Commodore 64 (trust me), then
were ports on both the Atari 7800 ProSystem and the Nintendo system. Bother
versions are good ports, but let's see which one is superior.

GAME INFONES Version: Developed by Namco in 1985,
published in U.S. by Bandai in 19887800 Version: Developed by General
Computer Corp. in 1984, but wasn't released by Atari until 1987

NES Screen

7800 Screen

1.
PresentationThere isn't much difference in the presentation of both
versions. Both the NES and 7800 ports feature two player modes (alternating) and
both are mainly straight-up ports; you won't find any extra modes in either
version. However the 7800 cart does offer three difficulty settings which
changes the game quite a bit. While it may seem the 7800 version has the slight
edge with the three settings, only two of the settings are any fun, and out of
those two only one mode plays like the arcade game (more on this below). With
that in mind, let's just say both versions have two-player modes and leave it at
that.Advantage: Draw

2. GraphicsThe NES version blows the 7800 port out of the
water here. The graphics on the NES cart are just about arcade perfect.
Everything, from the enemy ships to the scrolling stars to the badges
representing levels, look almost exactly like their coin-op cousins. It's almost
like you're playing an emulated version. While 7800 graphics are pretty good and
do resemble their arcade counterparts, the sprites still have a blocky, slightly
dull look to them. Your ship looks a bit smaller, plus the badges to mark the
levels are missing. At least the scrolling background looks good in the 7800
cart. Considering that the 7800 can display up to 256 colors, GCC could have
done better.Advantage: NES

NES Screen

7800 Screen

3. Sounds & MusicEven though Galaga was never
known for its music, the NES is going to take this round as well. Both versions
feature the various Galaga melodies, such as the beginning theme and challenging
stage intro. The NES music is almost spot on, and the sound effects aren't that
bad either. The 7800 tries to match the arcade, but with the outdated 2600 chip
providing the audio, the music doesn't quite hit the mark. The 7800 sound
effects also sound very wrong. So once again the 7800 can't match the NES in
sound.Advantage: NES

4. GameplayBoth versions have the classic Galaga gameplay
intact, from the Challenging Stages to the "let your ship get captured" trick. I
used a standard NES gamepad for the NES version, and the 7800 Joypad for the
7800 version, and both controls were no sweat to use, so fans of the arcade
original should have no problems diving in. The 7800 version also works well
with the 2600 joystick. Unfortunately the 7800 gameplay has some flaws that put
it behind the NES version. The Beginner mode is too easy; the ships move too
slowly and usually only one of them drops down at a time, unless the commander
ships are with them. The Intermediate mode isn't any faster but at least the
difficulty matches the coin-op better, with multiple ship attacks. The Expert
mode starts you at level 10, with everything moving at the speed it should. The
NES version has arcade-perfect gameplay, with correct speed and ship
aggresiveness. So the 7800 goes a good job, while the NES does a great job,
giving it another point.Advantage: NES

NES Screen

7800 Screen

5. Anything ElseBelieve it or not, the 7800 version has a
special feature that you won't find in the NES version, but you'll need a very
rare accessory to use it. This game is compatable with the 7800 High Score
Cartridge, meaning you can actually save up to five high scores, just like the
arcade version. I don't have a High Score cartridge so I haven't been able to
test it myself, but it's still a cool feature just the same. But since most of
you don't have the cartridge, you probably won't use this feature at all. But at
least the option is there. Advantage: 7800, just for the fact that
the High Score feature is there.

ConclusionThis face-off isn't as one sided as it may seem.
The 7800 version is a great port. GCC did a commendable job of bringing
Galaga to the ProSystem, and fans of the original won't be disappointed.
It's just that the NES version is tons better, superior in just about every
aspect, but of course it helps to have Namco themselves at the helm of the NES
version. So the final call is the 7800 is a good version, but for a more
authentic port definelty pick up the NES cart.

Tengen may have ported a lot of popular arcade games over to the NES however
they published only a small portion of arcade conversions that make up a healthy
amount of the NES game library. With the jump in graphics and sound over the
joystick era consoles, the NES was able to bring home even more arcade realism
than ever before. That is no more apparent than in the dozens upon dozens of
arcade ports that Nintendo and many third party publishers released over the
course of the Nintendo Entertainment System's unusually long lifespan. With all
the choices available concerning arcade favorites on the NES, the gaming world
got one step closer to having an arcade at home. Yet how would these home
versions compare to their arcade counterparts? That's what NES'cade is all
about.

Although City Connection was a very rare sight in American arcades, Jaleco
saw fit to release the Famicom recreation on the NES. Game play is deceptively
simple to begin with but as play time progresses things become increasingly
complex. The player controls a small car that has the ability to jump up and
turn on a dime, a nimble set of wheels designed for high speed maneuvering. Race
around on a tour of the world, marking the highway as you proceed on your
transworld excursion, to prove to the world you're the master of the road.
However things aren't that simple. Local law enforcement and traffic is a
constant burden, blocking the roadway and holding up your progress at every
turn. Your only weapon against said traffic are cans of oil that are picked up
during your journeys. Tossing one at an enemy vehicle will cause it to spin out,
allowing you to bump it off the road and out of the way. A bigger threat to your
adventure lies in the form of cats that sit on the road, these cannot be harmed
with oil cans and must be avoided at all costs. Once all roads on a specific
level have been driven then it's off to the next world locale.

City Connection on the NES is a prime example of what a port of an arcade
game to the NES hardware should be, accurate to the technology of the time.
Everything is recreated as closely as possible given the limitations of the NES
platform. A solid effort was put in place to bring over the sights, sounds, and
most importantly the feel of the arcade game. Of course there are limitations
when it comes to visuals and sound however the basics of each stage are
wonderfully represented. The world city backdrops of each stage have been
recreated very nicely, they're not as graphically detailed as the original
arcade backgrounds, but are still good looking and nicely detailed for the NES
hardware. A couple stages have a slightly obnoxious sky color but it's as close
to the original arcade shades as possible using the NES pallet. This quality is
the same for the jazzy music in each stage. Although not as full sounding as the
arcade version, a real attempt has been put forward to incorporate as much of
the original music as possible. Game play is dead on with tight controls and
frenzied action from the moment the game starts. The spikes that pop up if the
player car remains on the same level have been carried over as well, a nice
touch that keeps things authentic. The only real difference between the arcade
and NES versions is how the roadway is marked. In the arcade the roadway is
smoothly marked off in exacting relation to where the car is located. On the NES
the roadway is divided into blocks that are filled in as the car passes over
each. This makes the NES version slightly easier than the arcade version as road
sections are clearly marked off. Due to this it's very easy to keep track of
where you've been and where you need to go, rather than spending extra time
driving around looking for the sliver of road surface left to cover which
happens a lot with the original.

Controls are solid and very intuitive. With a little practice, covering the
edges of each level and reacting to a cat or a stray enemy vehicle become second
nature. One very interesting difference between the Famicom and NES versions of
the game I noticed has to do with the cutscenes. The Famicom version stays true
to the cutscenes of the arcade original, portraying the driver of the player car
as female and replicating the end of stage scene as it was in the arcade. For
one reason or another these things were changed for the NES version, beginning
with a new title screen showing a male driver. All the end of stage scenes have
been replaced, now each one is different instead of the same screen over and
over again. However what I found most interesting was the image shown after
completion of the first stage. The driver is shown smoking a cigarette, which
isn't a big deal per se, except that Nintendo was notorious in cracking down on
smoking, drinking, and religious images in the US releases of their games. This
image isn't something that happened to slip through localization, it's only
present in the NES version, in other words it was added for the NES release!

Most that have played this game, even those that really enjoy it, usually
aren't aware of the arcade original. Once discovering the origins of City
Connection it just goes to reinforce the care that was taken when bringing it to
the NES platform. It is, without a doubt, one of the finest examples of how an
arcade to home conversion should be done. A super accurate recreation that
brings home the challenge and fun of a game born in the arcade. Personally I've
always felt that it's one of the unsung and nearly forgotten classics of the
NES. This is understandable as the arcade version was pretty much nonexistent
outside of Japan but if given a chance, City Connection is a very entertaining
and worthwhile game play experience.

It's time for another installment of Nintendo Realm as we examine each and
every game developed for the NES/Famicom platform in chronological order, or
chronogaming as we like to call it. There is one game omitted from this review,
Naitou 9 Dan - Shogi Hiden, released by Seta on August 10, 1985. As the name
implies, it is a Shogi game (or Japanese chess) which, like mahjong, I know
nothing about so I can't comment on it. As a special bonus, your getting one
extra dosage as we cover 9 games instead of the usual 8. Why? Because the next
game after Battle City is Super Mario Bros. and I have something special planned
for all of you to commemorate that momentous release.

In the mean time, of the 9
games reviewed this month, we shine a special spotlight on the first two, and
only two, games to be released for use in conjunction with R.O.B., your Robotic
Operating Buddy. But what was R.O.B. really? A stroke of genius? A marvel of
engineering? A pioneer of a style of game play that was never fully appreciated?
Or was he just a Trojan Horse? Your opinion may vary, but the truth is that
R.O.B. was developed to get American retailers more interested in distributing
the NES after the video game market crashed in 1983 with no signs of ever
returning. Companies did not want to waste money on a product that history had
proven to be a flop. So the NES had to be more than just a console. It had to be
bigger and better. The light gun was already developed, but Nintendo needed
something that raised more eyebrows. Enter R.O.B., the robot that played video
games with you... or so it seemed. In reality, R.O.B. was just a pawn to be
manipulated while playing, but you can read more about that in the entries for
the two games, Gyromite and Stack-Up (or Gyro Set and Block Set as they were
called in Japan.) Once retailers discovered what a hit the NES would become,
there was no need to carry on the charade, and R.O.B. was unceremoniously
discarded from the NES package, replaced by a single game of Super Mario Bros.
And while many view R.O.B. as a half baked idea (and the start of MANY Nintendo
accessories that would receive little to no support from Nintendo) we owe a
small thank you to the bundle of plastic that convinced retailers to take a stab
at selling the console that would single handedly revive the video game industry
in America. Thank you my friend.

Super Arabian, released by SunSoft on July 25, 1985.The concept
behind Super Arabian is simple. It plays like an early arcade platformer like
Donkey Kong, but in order to clear each stage, you must collect all the bags of
gold scattered throughout the screen. In addition to gathering them, if you
collect them in the correct order, so as to spell out a word, you receive a
large bonus. To hinder your progress, little pink blobs and crows appear and
wander throughout the stage. You can avoid them or kick them off the screen. If
you kick one enemy in to another, you will be awarded more bonus points. The
controls are simple, one button jumps and one button kicks, but I found that I
would confuse them frequently when I first started playing. Super Arabian is
actually a port of an arcade game simply entitled Arabian, developed in 1983 by
Sun Electronics, as SunSoft was first known. SunSoft granted the American arcade
distributing rights to Atari, along with another game of theirs that was
slightly more popular, Kangaroo. The Famicom port really only changes the fact
that the goal of every stage is not to spell "ARABIAN" each time, but different
words. It's a fun game, if not a little unforgiving. I have difficulty passing
the 3rd stage.

Block Set, released by Nintendo on July 26, 1985. Released as Stack-Up in
the US on October 1985Stack-Up seemed to play second fiddle to Gyromite
in America, due to the fact that Gyromite was packaged with every R.O.B. sold.
However in Japan, Block Set was the game packaged with R.O.B. (who had red arms
instead of gray, to match the Famicom's color scheme.) In truth, it really is
the weaker of the two R.O.B. titles as it demonstrates what R.O.B. is capable of
doing, but not how much fun he can be to play with. Stack-Up boils down to a
simplified game of Simon Says. In every mode of play, you have to go from the
current state of stacked blocks to the requested state of stacked blocks. There
are two main modes of play, one where you input commands that are executed
immediately, and one where you actually program in the sequence of moves that
you would like R.O.B. to perform before giving him the green light to try it.
There is a third mode of play called Bingo which seems to cross all of the above
with Q*Bert, in the sense that you have to jump on blocks so that you turn rows
or columns the same color in order to give R.O.B. an instruction, while enemies
bounce around and try to screw up your work. Here's my big gripe with the game:
There is no accountability. What happens on the screen and what happens with
R.O.B. and the blocks have little or nothing to do with one another. The only
way the game thinks you've succeeded in your task is when you press the Start
button. This game was clearly a tech demo for Nintendo, and very little effort
went in to actually making this a game. It would have been very simple to add
just enough programming to know whether the set of instructions that you gave to
R.O.B. were enough to succeed in your task or whether you failed, or worse yet,
whether you completely messed up and caused R.O.B. to knock the stack to the
floor with his arms. Why Nintendo didn't take the time to do this is beyond me,
and really speaks to the notion that R.O.B. was never fully thought of as a
product worthy of support, but rather a simple sales gimmick to entice American
retailers. Never the less, you can have fun with this game if you don't tire of
the self-regulation and honesty that the game requires.

Super Arabian

Block Set (Stack-Up)

Front Line, released by Taito on August 1, 1985.Front Line is the
true forefather of video game classics like Commando and Ikari Warriors. It
introduced concepts like the one man army that scrolls vertically upwards to a
final destination, using a second button to fire a limited supply of grenades,
and climbing in to tanks for extended firepower. Aside from the awkwardness of
some of the graphics, like the goofy animation, or the bizarre way that the guns
are carried, Front Line was a pioneer in using a separate rotary controller to
control the direction that you want to fire in, independent of the direction you
are moving. The Famicom port gets all of this right... except for that last
detail. And really, you can't blame Taito for omitting that, it just doesn't fit
the Famicom's control scheme. Even SNK removed that feature from Ikari Warriors
when they ported to the Famicom. But without that detail, Front Line breaks down
in to an ordinary, and somewhat unattractive, shooter that does not hold up well
against the future releases mentioned above. A terrific foot note in the history
of video games which paved the way for better games to follow, but a dull and
awkward challenge that is better left alone.

Tower of Druaga, released by Namco on August 6, 1985Ask a hardcore
old school Japanese player what they think of the Tower of Druaga, and you're
likely to get a very positive response. Ask an American what they think and
they'll probably respond, "Tower of what?" Somehow, Namco created a game that
was a masterpiece in one culture and a complete dud in another. (Case in point,
the Japanese entry for this game in Wikipedia is substantially longer than it's
English counterpart.) I can't even claim to know a great deal about the game,
but there is a decent FAQ about the game on GameFaqs.com if you want to know
more details. Basically you are a knight that must climb the 60 floors of the
tower in order to rescue the maiden Ki from a demon named Druaga. In order to
accomplish this task, you must also find the various treasure chests that are
contained on each floor, most of which are mandatory to beat the game, but not
all. And there-in lies the difficulty of this game: the methods to obtain each
treasure chest varies from floor to floor and can become quite elaborate, with
absolutely no means of obtaining hints or clues. Ultimately, some players will
feel cheated and frustrated by the game when they can't advance because they
missed an item, and they have no idea why, while other players will be
stimulated by the challenge that this presents. The Tower of Druaga had far
reaching effects on future Namco releases, with several references made to items
and equipment in the Tales series of games as well as Mr. Driller, Namco X
Capcom, and several others. While I personally find this game a little
frustrating, I would recommend giving it a shot either in a NES emulator, or
even in MAME, just to experience this would-be classic. See where you rank among
the players of a game which the Japanese consider to be a true test of skill.

Frontline

Tower of Druaga

Astro Robo Sasa, released by ASCII on August 9, 1985If you only
get to try one game out from this month's selection of games, this should be the
one. Astro Robo Sasa is one of those whacky funny releases that personify what
made the NES so memorable. In this game, you control a little guy who carries a
gun with a big kick back. So big in fact, that it can launch you in to the air
and you can fly around by aiming it in the opposite direction you wish to fly
in, and fire. The goal of the game is to collect all of the energy tanks
scattered throughout the level. They will be placed on the screen in various
manners, such as tied to a balloon, behind walls, lying in plain sight, etc. You
must use your gun to propel you through the air (and water) to collect the tanks
and avoid as many obstacles as possible. Obviously, collecting a tank rewards
you with more energy, but firing your gun costs you one point of energy, while
colliding with an enemy or getting shot costs you substantially more. In the
case when the tanks are behind a wall, you must continuously fire at the wall to
break it down until you can access the tanks within. The problem is that by
firing in the direction of the wall, you are propelled in the opposite
direction, forcing you to correct your position in the air. The stages are
arranged in themes and come in sets of three. It takes some time to get the hang
of the physics, but once you do, you'll have a good time floating around and
dodging enemies. And if you get really frustrated on stage 2 or 3, just shoot
the cow for a small laugh.

Gyro Set, released by Nintendo on August 13, 1985. Released as in Gyromite
the US on October 1985Here we have the R.O.B. game that most people will
remember. Good old Gyromite with it's gyros and gyro spinner. I'm fairly certain
that such a toy would never be OKed for release in America today. A caution
sticker on the spinner warned you against touching the edge of the gyro while
the it sat in the spinner cradle, and you'd be wise to heed it because it could
give you a pretty good skin burn (spoken from experience...) But in 1985, this was
perfectly acceptable, so you too could enjoy the game that actually demonstrated
how R.O.B. could be used as a video game playing partner. The goal of the game
was to direct the professor through a lab infested with little green monsters
called Smicks that happen to like turnips, and collect all of the dynamite
scattered about. The only problem is there are these red and blue pipes
preventing the professor from accessing all of the stage at any one time.
Pressing A or B on the second controller made the pipes raise or lower, but
without a second player to man the control, what's a boy to do? Use R.O.B. of
course! By pausing the game, you could issue a command to R.O.B. and have him
use the gyros to press down buttons that interfaced with the control pad. But
what if you need to press both buttons together? It's simple. Just have R.O.B.
pick up a gyro, drop it in the spinner, get the gyro spinning, pick it up, drop
it on to one of the button platforms, pick up the other gyro, and press down the
other button. This simple procedure could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2
minutes while the professor stands on the screen patiently waiting for R.O.B. to
complete the task. And I always wondered, was it really acceptable to just push
the button down with the gyro? Or were you meant to spin it first every time,
whether you needed to leave it there or not? Again, like Stack-Up, there was no
accountability for how you used R.O.B., and most people I know just played this
game with two people and left R.O.B. out (assuming he was even available.) Some
of the meaner players I knew would make a game out of trying to squash the
professor with the pipes. In an ironic twist, Gyromite is one of the most sought
after cartridges, not at all for it's gameplay, but for the treasured Famicom to
NES cartridge adaptor contained in most early NES cartridges. (See http://blog.wired.com/games/index.blog?entry_id=1500989)

Astro Robo Sasa

Gyro Set (Gyromite)

Geimos, released by ASCII on August 28, 1985.In contrast to the
long entry on Gyromite, we're not going to spend a lot of time with this one.
Geimos plays like a weak version of Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom with bombs, and
a boss mother ship that inexplicably flies diagonally to the surface of the
planet that you are flying over. As far as shooters go, it does what it needs to
do, but it doesn't do any of it spectacularly. Compared to ASCII's earlier
release of Astro Robo Sasa, this one is a disappointment. ASCII made a number of
games for the MSX, though I could not find any evidence that Geimos was one of
them. ASCII gained a lot of popularity in Japan for porting over the Wizardry
series of RPG games. They have also made a number of outstanding controllers for
various game consoles.

10 Yard Fight, released by Irem on August 30, 1985. Released in the US by
Nintendo on October 1985I must confess that I haven't played this game
very much since it's one of the earliest football games available for the NES.
As a result, it's very simple, and there isn't a whole lot of configurability
between plays. You choose your difficulty level by selecting the degree of
academic or professional achievement. The game scrolls vertically up and down
throughout the whole game, but the offensive team's end zone is always at the
top. On defense, you can choose between two men to control, while on offense,
you can pass the ball to an open player, but your best bet is to try to run the
ball with the quarterback, or pass it laterally to either player alongside him.
There's not a lot of depth and later football games such as Tecmo Bowl will
eclipse this title. Interestingly, while Nintendo developed most of their own
initial sports titles, they opted to license this one from Irem, along with the
popular action sidescroller, Kung-Fu.

Geimos

10-Yard Fight

Battle City, released by Namco on September 9, 1985.

Battle City

As promised,
here is the bonus 9th review for the month. It's not a spectacular title, but it
is a solid one. Battle City was an arcade game that Namco originally released
for the arcade under the name Tank Battalion in 1980. While the original game
had very stiff popping animation, the Famicom port of the game is much smoother
and enjoyable to play. The game plays like a cross between Berzerk and
capture-the-flag. You control one tank against a horde of enemy tanks that
appear one after another. You must shoot down and eliminate all the tanks
remaining on your current stage in order to advance to the next stage. All the
while, you must be conscious of the state of your home base, which is protected
behind walls. All of the walls can be destroyed by cannon blasts, and your
enemies will constantly try to destroy the outer perimeter of your base and blow
it up. There are a variety of tanks that appear, some which will bestow bonus
items or brief power-ups if they are flashing red when shot. It should be noted
that your cannon fire can nullify an enemy's cannon fire, but remember to
continue shooting or the enemy may fire another shot and take you out. At the
higher stages of play, the game can become quite frantic, and it's less
advisable to move too far away from your base or you'll leave it vulnerable to
attack. It lacks the charm and imagination of many of Namco's later arcade
games, but it does provide a consistent challenge that most gamers will enjoy.
You can even choose which stage you would like to start on without any codes (up
to stage 35, which is arranged to look like a Galaxian,) or construct a level of
your own design.

If I were going to give a "coattails" award to the clunkers of computer
history, there's no question the Commodore 16/Plus-4 family would make the
finals.

I haven't seen all of the games available for other possible contenders like
the IBM PC Jr., but what at first looked like a modest roster of available games
for the Commodore machines in fact turned into a list many hundreds of titles
long. Given the machines' tepid hardware and short market life, the only
explanation is the software markets unshakeable assumption that anything
succeeding the best-selling Commodore 64 was going to be a consumer - if not
critical - hit.

Oops.

I mention this because I got an e-mail a few weeks back asking why my look at
games for the two machines are focusing on those available using an online
emulator at commodore16.com. No I don't
know the person who runs the site and I've only exchanged a few brief messages
with people who frequent it. But it was the only way to get the list of capsule
reviews down to a manageable size - as it is, the columns on games for this
machine will take more than half a year to complete.

Once upon a time I envisioned doing mini-reviews of every title available for
obscure computers. I'm now realizing that isn't going to happen unless it's all
I do with my life - which by definition would mean I didn't have one. Besides, I
suspect there's a tolerance limit among even junkies for reading about the
mediocrity too often found in these games.

With that, this month's look gets into the latter half of the alphabet and,
while not covering too many true classics of gaming history (One On One is an
exception), there's a couple of original efforts definitely worthy of passing
time with until we venture deep into space (think of how many such "S" titles
there are in the software world) next month.

Nest Of Fleas (C+)A text adventure that generates a number of
positive and negative feelings, balancing out into an average grade. The plot is
cute, putting you in the role of a dog on a mission. Among my early miscues were
scratching and getting fleas, and scaring off the mailman by barking when he
showed up with something I probably wanted delivered. The interface is the real
mixed blessing. The user doesn't type commands; instead they're selected by
keyboard or joystick from an on-screen list. Any extra input, like picking up or
moving to something, are then selected in the same manner before the outcome is
shown in the storyline window. The good aspects of this are no guessing what
words are needed and a simple interface even the rankest beginner can
understand. The main drawback is it's slow, requiring too much select-and-choose
work for the simplest actions. There's no save game option, a critical omission
for adventures, especially since this one can sic you with unexpected death.
Still, it's cute enough to have some staying power and appears to be a
C16-Plus/4 original.

Nibbly 92 (D+)
Badly flawed variation of Nibbler and the countless other "snake" games on the
market. It's closest in appearance to the coin-op game - with the player guiding
a quick-moving snake around a series of one-screen mazes, eating dots that make
it grow longer, without colliding with itself - but lacking some crucial
gameplay elements. First, the player only moves when a key is held down and
there's no penalty for staying still (in the coin-op you get a moment's pause at
corners before the snake is forced to move in a direction). There's a time
limit, but this still makes the game more strategy than arcade action. Maybe
even a bigger problem are the graphics. The snake's head is never visible, so
when the game starts the timer starts without the player necessarily being aware
they're on the clock. When you're moving, it's hard to tell where you are and
position yourself correctly for turns and/or eating stray dots. A few finishing
touches and this would be fun, but without them there's little point. It's
apparent predecessor, Nibbly, did not work in the emulator.

Ninja Master (C-)Originally a budget title for the ZX Spectrum,
this four-stage martial arts game involves earning higher and higher belt colors
by proving your worthiness through four skill challenges. The first is fending
off arrows that come at you from the edges of the screen (sort of like Space
zap), the second is hand-chopping a log in half by hitting the left and right
keys to build up enough power (Track And Field?), the third is fending off ninja
stars and the fourth using a blowpipe to shoot down canisters. It got OK reviews
at the time, especially because of the price, but on the emulator its clunky and
lagging response makes it nearly impossible to play. The graphics are large and
OK in a cartoonish way, but nothing impressive. I took real karate lessons for a
long time and never got anywhere because I didn't have enough patience to
execute moves with the exact precision required; same thing there.

Nuclear Ball (C-)Another example of stupidity bogging down an OK
game, even though another Breakout/Araknoid clone is hardly something the world
is screaming for. Get through the drawn-out title screen, which has unreadable
text, and you end up playing an OK game whose most notable feature seems to be
an extra tug of gravity on the ball. Also, when you miss the ball doesn't
disappear - it rebounds as if you'd hit it, but you lose one of your nine
alloted "misses." When these hit zero the game is over. Controls are responsive
and the space graphics are OK, but lacking in color. It earns a mediocre 60
percent rating from the German site c16.de.

Oblido (B-)Sort of an arcade-pace Balderdash, where you have to
move four sets of nine counters in a maze to their proper areas while dodging
enemy sinners emerging from the "Sin Bin" on each screen. The instructions call
this "the eternally frustrating strategy game" and they're right. I didn't enjoy
it much because I got myself stuck in difficult situations to get out of when
trying to move counters around, although I can imagine plenty of people who
would.

Olympic Skier 1 and 2 (C+)A polished black-and-white version of
the vertical-scrolling ski/driving avoidance games that are seemingly limitless
in number. This is top-of-the-line if one grades it by bedroom programmer
standards, but only mid-tier as a commercial release. The player guides the
skier down slopes with trees along both sides, avoiding or jumping obstacles,
and passing through slalom gates and hitting ski jumps right to earn extra time
and bonuses. The best element of the game is all this occurs in waves - first
the obstacles, then a bunch of slalom gates just as time is running low and,
finally, the screen switches to an entirely different perspective for a ski jump
where the goal is to clear a lake. The bad news: the gameplay isn't much
different than any other version much of the time, the graphics are tepid and
the in-game messages are literally something of a bad joke (and usually
inaccurate, like referring to hitting trees when you collide with a rock).
Olympic Skier 2 looks like the same game with different messages.

One On One (A-)
If you're not familiar with this best-seller and can lower your standards below
"NBA Jam" to the machines of the 80s, this title by a startup company of
ex-Apple employees known as Electronic Arts (yes, that EA) brings serious game.
The Commodore 64 version is on 1UP magazine's list of 50 essential games and the
Plus/4 conversion survives the translation process nicely (this definitely
wasn't the case with all platforms - the version for my trusty TRS-80 Color
Computer was particularly mediocre). It was one of the first titles to license
real sports stars, pitting Larry Bird and Julius Irving against each other in a
contest reflecting their particular strengths. Irving is faster, fancier and can
jump higher; Bird, generally acknowledged as the better player in One On One, is
a much better shooter, and his rebounding and defensive skills are superior.
They also move much like their real-life counterparts, long before the age of
motion-capture graphics. Fatigue meters and momentum swings that affect things
like shot success add to the playground realism, as do options such as playing
timed games or to a specified score (21, anyone?) and "winner's outs" or
"loser's outs" after successful shots. There's three-point shots, instant
replays, fouls and - famously - the shattering backboard for those able to hit a
dunk just right. It's a simple game to learn, but with lots of moves and a
tough-to-beat oppenent at the higher of four skill levels (two-player games are
also an option), this is a winner for nostalgics and newbies alike.

Out On A Limb (C+)A chunky looking platformer that's simplistic,
but very tough. You control Jack, who must climb a beanstalk and grab treasures
on more than 20 screens, avoiding ducks, jelly babies and pretty much anything
else that moves. Controls are simple right-left-jump and enemies move in
predictable set patterns. But there's very little room for error even during the
early levels, so it will take a while before players learn the moves needed to
get through. After that, of course, the fun factor - not terribly high anyhow -
rapidly diminishes. This game has several sequels, but none are part of the
emulator collection.

Overload (C+)Gets this rating purely on guesswork, as it's a
strategy game I couldn't quite figure out. You and another player (computer or
human) take turns placing tiles on a board, apparently trying to outflank the
other, but exactly how is what proved elusive. Numbers appear in each tile, but
I never figured out what they meant, even after watching the computer play
itself for several matches. If you can figure out the rules, then this is
probably your kind of game.

Pengo (B+) Other
than a far-too-long intro sequence that seems impossible to break out of, this
is a very nice clone of one of the world's most popular penguin games (OK, it's
not a crowded field). Almost everything is true to the arcade, from the size of
the playfield with the iceblocks to kick around, to the way enemy Sno-Bees
materialize and pursue the player, to the player's ability to defeat them by
kicking blocks into them, kicking walls to stun them or lining up the three
diamond blocks for large bonuses and temporarily disabling them. There's
intermissions that are close to the coin-op's and the four-direction-and-kick
controls are possible with the keyboard or a joystick. The only notable
difference is it moves a bit faster than the original, which actually isn't a
bad thing. It's not so fast it increases difficulty and allows players to get
through the easier playfields faster.

Pipe Mania (D)This is a good version of a clever and popular
puzzle/arcade game - but this emulator is no place to play it. The goal is to
place pipe tiles on the screen in a way that directs a soon-to-be-flowing stream
of water to a proper location, but there's a major problem - the spacebar
functions as both the place and pause key in the emulator. This turns the whole
experience into a herky-jerky mess. Too bad, it's a good conversion of an
addicting game otherwise and I spent some time hitting all sorts of other key
combinations hoping something might work before giving up.

Planet Search (C-)I remember once reading some sick reviewer who
said Defender was a fine game at first, but too easy to master to the point of
simply racking up waves and extra men mindlessly infinitely. They should be
sentenced to achieve the same feat with this somewhat derivative version, which
plays like a 33 1/3 record spinning at 78 rpm (am I dating myself here? Not
really - it was something I tried a couple of times as a kid on an aging system
that also had an 8-track tape deck). The graphics are nice, the joystick control
is smooth, much of the gameplay seems the same - even though it appears there's
no humans to rescue; instead you seem to need to capture "something" after
shooting certain aliens. But the whole thing moves so fast it was impossible to
make and meaningful progress at all. This may partially be the fault of a
reviewer who never got past wave six at the arcade, but I find it hard to
believe anyone not on medication will be able to keep up for long.

Platina (A-)Love at first site. I'll bet this
guide-the-bouncing-barrel platformer exists in a dozen variations on different
machines, but it's the first time I've experienced this particular combination.
It's a little like Mario meets Marble Madness, as the player guides a barrel
around mazes with ramps, walls, pits and other things that may aid or hinder
efforts to get up, down and around the large scrolling mazes. It all moves
speedily, with charming and helpful graphics (arrows show the way), and the
physics are accurate in a cartoonish way - keeping the spacebar pressed adds
sort of a turbo boost to your speed which is essential for building enough speed
when hitting ramps in an effort to reach higher platforms or make long jumps.
Sure it's nothing more than an alternate guidance scheme for a familiar genre,
but it's a clever and well-implemented one.

POD (C)A vaguely Targ-like game where the enemy acts more like
Centipede, with some extra strategic complications and lousy keyboard controls.
The player moves around a grid, shooting the enemies that emerge in a chain from
the top of the screen. They explode when hit, disabling that section of the grid
temporarily. The graphics are very basic, but acceptable, and those into fast
mindless shooters will like the pace. The keys (3, 4, A, Z and T to fire) are a
lousy choice.

Prisoner (C+)Nice little freeware game that is essentially a
complex version of those slide-the-tiles number puzzles. The goal is to free a
prisoner by moving blocks around the screen until there's a clear path from his
cell to the exit. The controls are simple - type the number of the brick and a
direction key to move it - but solving things is anything but. The biggest
variance is the bricks are of different sizes, and getting the large ones out of
the way is a real bear. Still, there's no time pressure beyond the rather
ridiculous comments from the prisoner's cell that flash up from time to time and
you can always revert to the original setup if you feel stuck. A good
time-killer for the patient.

Prospector Pete (B-)A combination of Dig-Dug and Pipe Mania
(above), where the player maneuvers Pete around 16 levels of underground mines,
collecting whatever objects are around and avoiding bad things. Once he collects
them all, he can return to the minehead where a ladder has been lowered so he
can get to the next level. The biggest hazard is the timer - a stick of
dynamite. Once it goes off, the mine starts to flood, with water filling
whatever tunnels Pete has created. It's very easy to cut yourself off from items
and escape routes. Nothing is really great when it comes to graphics and
gameplay, but none of it is awful either.

Qbert (D+) My best
guess is this is an unfinished unofficial port of the coin-op classic, which
might rate as barely above average if the rest of the programming went nearly
flawlessly. You control a little ball-shaped dude who doesn't look much like
Qbert, jumping around on a platform mostly resembling the real thing. But
there's huge problems here, maybe the worst being that the squares don't change
color when you jump on them. In other words, you're simply supposed to jump on
them all until they're the right "color" with no visual clue if they are. In
latter waves, where the original requires jumping on squares multiple times
and/or colors toggle with each jump, this obviously would be an unplayable
nightmare. Also, look at the screenshot - notice there's no transport discs?
This might matter if there were any snakes, but there aren't during the early
stages. There is, however, a time limit, so your racing against that instead of
anything that can kill you. And the list could go on, but it's not worth that
kind of space. The positives are few, including some user selectable
sound/control options and a nicely animated - but useless - demo at the
beginning of stages demonstrating the goal (with no color differential, you have
no idea what it is).

Quadrillion (B) To dismiss this as another Araknoid/Breakout clone is to miss a
game with a lot to offer, along with a couple of real annoyances. It's perhaps
most notable for being the runner-up in the 2004 Minigame Competition, an annual
event where programmers write games for classic machines using tiny amounts of
memory. As such, it was written with emulators in mind and for the most part is
easily played and controlled as a result. The game is similar to many ball/brick
games with one important difference: You control the ball instead of a paddle.
Your control left and right movements, while the up and down ones are in
response to whatever bricks or walls the ball hits. You can only take out bricks
that are the same color as your ball, which can be changed by hitting certain
bricks with that capability. You must also avoid the green death bricks with
skulls in them, which will cost you a ball. There are 20 levels that get
increasingly complex and even the early ones aren't easy. It's possible to get
"trapped" with no way out other than suicide (if you hit a color-change brick on
the first level before taking out all the reds, for example, since there's no
way to change back to a red ball). The biggest personal annoyance is levels
start from the beginning if you die - I'd feel better being able to pick up
where I left off. In its favor, you can continue from the last playfield
completed before the game ends.

Quest (D)File this one under Text Adventures For Idiots. Not
Dummies, since that series is devoted to beginners, not people who are actually
stupid for desiring to tackle the subject in question. It's based around an
explore-the-cave plot similar to a zillion others, except the command structure
is severely limited. You move with single-key commands (press "N" and you move
north if you can; no pressing <ENTER> or typing out full commands). If
there's a further action you can take, such as picking up a treasure, the
program asks if you want to do so. But if you enter a room where there's a torch
and the program doesn't prompt you, you can't pick it up on your own. Lame.
Saved from a failing grade because it is a simple introduction that's bug-free
and it allows you to get out of missteps that might result in death on other
titles (such as going into the woods instead of the cave at the start, just to
see what's there).

Quick Draw (D+)This might be an OK version of one of the oldest
two-player games in existence if it were nearly impossible to see things on the
too-dark playfield. You and other player move up and down on opposite sides of
the screen, trying to shoot each other around some cactuses and a covered wagon
in the middle. Problem is, the gunfight seems to be taking place in the middle
of the night. The desert is black and both of the players are dark in color as
well. Add in somewhat slow and choppy movement and it's time to put this one out
of its misery.

Game Over

The last man just expired and the big GAME OVER sign has just appeared, which
means it's time to put this issue to bed. Tune in next month for more
retrogaming goodness.